This week has been busy, busy, busy! I’ve been keeping a positive attitude about everything, though, and that has made a lot of difference.

I’m still meditating as often as I can (mostly in the morning) and I try to set an intention for the day, even if it’s not fully fleshed out. For example, I woke up sort of groggy on Monday morning and I just set a positive intent for my day. I calmed myself from the inside out and immediately felt more upbeat and ready to take on the day. Sometimes, I have more specific intentions, such as imagining a successful meeting if I have an important one that day or week. The more I meditate, the more I’ve come to realize how much my thoughts affect the trajectory of my day. For the most part, if I stay positive, my experiences remain positive.

I’ve needed this optimism more now than ever with the holidays approaching. I made a promise to myself awhile back that I would begin buying gifts and preparing well in advance this year (since I am a huge procrastinator and leave almost everything until the last minute, thereby guaranteeing my own insanity), and it’s worked! I’m almost done all of my shopping and I feel pretty laid back.

I hope all of you readers are feeling just as laid back about the upcoming holidays! Did you finish all your shopping and decorating yet?

In connection with my last post two weeks ago, I wanted to give you lovely readers an update: I’ve tried meditation and I am happy to say that I am really enjoying it! Also, I believe that I’m feeling a difference in my stress levels. I’m working on this slowly and I allow myself to skip a day if it just isn’t happening (such as yesterday! Maybe it’s because it was Monday, but I just couldn’t muster up the concentration to meditate that morning or last evening before bed). I’ve also begun reading up on the philosophy behind meditation and various perspectives on the practice; this has helped a lot as well because I’m beginning to formulate my own ideas and opinions about what I’m doing.

One aspect of meditation that I want to focus on in this post is the ability that I have (or, well, that I’m developing) to let go of the stress, hang ups, and thoughts from the day. This is the most difficult part for me and it is something I struggle with every day. Sometimes my sleep is interrupted or it doesn’t come at all because the thoughts in my head are crashing around and keeping me awake; I know this isn’t news to many of you. This is a common problem among most people, not just those who suffer from anxiety. By developing the skill of letting go of my daily concerns, I am giving myself an important gift: the gift of inner peace. I go to bed now most nights with a growing sense of calm that I haven’t experienced for years.

I can’t stress the importance of meditation enough (or any other practice/ritual that will give you a sense of peace, such as taking a warm bath, reading, or listening to music). For me, it has been a truly eye-opening experience. I feel more well-rested and ready for work in the morning during the week, and prepared to engage in various activities on the weekends. I’m so happy I started practicing meditation and I hope to continue it for a long time to come!

What do you do, dear readers, to bring yourself a sense of inner peace?

Like this:

This week did not start off well. I woke up on Monday with a bad headache (a mixture of lack of sleep and sinus pressure, I think) that has lasted until today. I feel as though I haven’t slept at all, when in fact I’ve gotten about 7-8 hours on both Sunday and Monday nights. It’s frustrating when I have a lot of work to do and I would really rather be home in bed trying to sleep off whatever this is. So, what is it?

From experience, I can probably tell you that yes, it is a bit of sinus pressure, but it probably is also a lack of exercise and a rise in my stress levels. Sure, I slept long enough the last two nights, but did I sleep well? The answer to that is probably no. For the past week or so, I’ve been neglecting a few things: I haven’t been exercising regularly (my excuse is that it’s way too hot, but really I think I’m just being lazy), eating well, or taking enough time to mentally relax when I need it. One thing that I’ve been meaning to do that I haven’t done at all is try meditating. Karen gave me a few great pointers a couple months ago in her comment to one of my posts, and like a jerk I said I’d give them a try and haven’t yet. The crux of this is that I have to make time to do these things–I have to physically set aside time in the morning or evening to empty my mind.

This seems daunting, especially when I’ve been so wound up lately because of other things. I wouldn’t say I’m overly busy, exactly, my mind has just been working overtime trying to process things. And I haven’t been helping the situation at all–I’ve been a passive observer rather than an active participant in my own life.

So, starting today, that’s enough. Enough inaction. I’m going to take a walk this afternoon and then maybe one more in the evening when it’s a bit cooler. I’m going to begin meditating this evening. I’m also going to eat better than I have been. I want to correct this passive behavior now before it gets out of hand!

Have any of you stepped back and realized that you need to be more active in your lives? What did you do to ensure that?